From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Government of Gombe State has commended the Federal Government for awarding contracts for the repair of the federal roads connecting Gombe and Biu in Borno State as well as the road linking Gombe and Potiskum in Yobe State.
According to the government, the decision to repair these roads is a step in the right direction, as it will improve accessibility and enable smoother transportation. This was stated by the state’s commissioner of Works, Housing and Transport, Dr. Usman Maijama’a Kallamu.
According to him, the roads are critical transportation routes for the people of Gombe and other neighboring states, as they enable the movement of goods and services in the area. “I recently attended the conversation ceremony of the Nigeria Army University Biu, during that I saw that contractors were working on the road from the Biu side and heading towards Gombe and that is very good because motorists traveling that have been suffering due to the bad conditions of the road. So is the road from Gombe to Nafada and Potiskum in Yobe state, but they are now working on the road, even though the work also started from the part of the road in Yobe state and we don’t know whether the contract and work will be extended to Gombe,” the Maijama’a said.
However, the commissioner called on the government to extend the gesture to other federal roads in the state, especially the road linking Gombe and Bauchi through Alkaleri as well as the road linking Gombe and Bauchi state through Dukku to Darazo.
According to the commissioner, the importance of good road infrastructure cannot be overemphasized, as it is a vital component of economic growth and development. The repair and construction of roads provide job opportunities and improve the standard of living for citizens, thus reducing poverty and improving the economy. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to put in more effort towards addressing the reoccurring washout, cutting off, and other decayed situations of the roads. He explained that fixing the roads will not only improve the lives of citizens but also attract potential investors, boost businesses and ultimately lead to the overall growth of the economy.
Maijama’a disclosed that the government of Gombe State has always placed a high priority focus on maintaining and upgrading state-owned roads. “During the first tenure of this administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, he initiated the network 11-100, a program to construct at least 100 kilometers (KM) of roads in each of the 11 LGA of the state. Under the project, a lot has been achieved and the project is on and making progress. Therefore, we need the federal government to come in and fix these roads so that our state and other northeastern states will be well-connected and accessible to increase economic activity and development,” he stated.